Drew's Hope branching out to help more grieving kids

Drew’s Hope, a grief support program based in Shippensburg, is making its way to Greencastle to help more children and their families cope with the loss of a loved one.

About Drew’s Hope

Drew’s Hope was started in 2008 under the Drew Michael Taylor Foundation created by Randy and Marcie Taylor after their 3-year-old son was killed in a car accident in the Outer Banks in 2006.

Marcie Taylor said she got the idea to start Drew’s Hope after they had a hard time finding a support group for their daughter, who was 7 at the time.

They took her to one near Harrisburg for a while but it got tough with school nights and having to drive almost an hour away.

“I just thought that there needs to be a program like this in our area, so we approached the Shippensburg University counseling department about it and they said sure,” said Taylor.

Drew’s Hope offers a way for children, teens and their families to meet and find support through others who are dealing with grief and learn healthy ways to cope.

“We can’t bring a loved one back, but we can let people know that they are not alone in their grief,” said Taylor.

While the program is mainly for children 18 and under, any family member is welcome to join them in the sessions.

The program runs in the fall and spring for seven weeks each and changes each semester to meet the needs of the families. The program is free. However, when families register they are signing up for all seven sessions, plus the orientation meeting.

“It’s important for the families to attend all the sessions because it is a growth process and if you have families coming in and out then the trust and relationships aren’t forming,” said Taylor. “When families allow the process to work, it can be really helpful.”

In Greencastle, Drew’s Hope will be held at Greencastle-Antrim Middle School every other Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m., beginning Sept. 16.

The whole family

Each session starts with a dinner and includes activities such as therapy dog visits, arts and crafts and games.

“This is a fun program for kids,” said Taylor. “It sounds odd. People think ‘oh, grief support, that’s sad,’ but kids have a really great time.”

Taylor spoke of one game they play with the kids called “Stomp Box.” They take old cereal boxes and put all the bad or sad feelings in the box and stomp it to smithereens.

“They love to stomp the boxes. It’s a way for them to work through certain feelings they did not realize they’ve internalized and have fun at the same time,” said Taylor.

The kids are divided into groups based on age and when there are enough families, the adults are divided into groups for if they’ve lost a child, spouse or all other losses.

The program is great for adults as well because the children are being taken care of so they can really focus on their own grieving.

“It’s a place where the adults don’t have to be strong for the children,” said Taylor. “Everyone gets a chance to get their feelings out.”

Drew’s Hope has helped around 75 local families since it began and the Taylors are hoping moving to a second location will bring in more families that need help.

Taylor said starting Drew’s Hope was helpful to her in dealing with her grief as well.

“When you reach out and help someone else, it is also helpful to you,” said Taylor. “It’s a really sad reason why you can help others but at the same time it is a really good feeling to be able to help others, especially when you remember how bad it was in the beginning.”

The expansion

“The local community has been very generous in supporting us and its been six years, so we thought it was time to expand,” said Taylor.

“It’s a constant mission to spread awareness and educate people about grief and/or provide help to grieving families,” said Taylor “We’re constantly thinking about what we can do next, what do these families need.”

When the Taylors decided to expand Drew’s Hope farther into Franklin County, they thought Greencastle would be the perfect meeting point. It brings them close to many towns in Franklin County and Interstate 81 makes it accessible from Hagerstown as well.

“We’re still considered a small organization right now and in a rural area people are only going to travel so far,” said Taylor.

Greencastle, where Randy Taylor was teaching at the time Drew was killed, also was also chosen due to the community support every year for the Dash for Drew race.

The Dash for Drew race takes place every year at Greencastle-Antrim High School and has a 2-mile race and a fun run/walk. This year’s Dash for Drew will take place Saturday, Nov. 8.

For more information about the Drew Michael Taylor Foundation or Drew’s Hope, call 532-8922 or visit www.drewmichaeltaylor.org.

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